India head coach Gautam Gambhir had to make a tough call last month, dropping young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to continue with the more established pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Sooryavanshi replaced Samson to make his India debut in England, but after three low scores in T20Is, he was dropped. The team management persisted with Samson, and although Sooryavanshi featured in the Zimbabwe T20Is, he was left out again for the series against Afghanistan.
After India blanked them 3-0, Gambhir spoke about Sooryavanshi, reminding the public that the youngster would have to wait for his chances. But when the role is so demanding, and one that requires you to offer clarity to players, it is the behind-the-scenes conversations that put a head coach on the hot seat. Still, Gambhir was completely honest with Sooryavanshi, informing him that it would not be easy for him to break into the Playing XI because the two players ahead of him have brought India tremendous success.
“It was a new experience for me as well. Yes, he was in good form, but I made him understand that sometimes, because of the players who have done well for a long time, he will have to wait for his opportunity. And there’s one more thing, social media or outside noise doesn’t decide the playing eleven. It depends on who in that dressing room, or who the coach and captain feel can win us the match, or what is the best playing eleven, and who have done well for such a long time,” Gambhir said on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’ show.
Samson, Abhishek proven performers
Samson emerged as the Player of the Tournament in India’s victorious 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, and his partnership with Abhishek Sharma at the top has worked brilliantly for India, producing 794 runs from 33 innings at an average of 29.5. The two have been India’s go-to opening pair since their T20 World Cup triumph two years ago in the West Indies. With the team management placing a premium on continuity, Sooryavanshi has no option but to play the waiting game, something Gambhir has been extremely upfront about. Sooryavanshi wasn’t even part of India’s one-off T20I against Japan before VVS Laxman gave him a chance at the Asian Games.
“If Vaibhav plays today, then it’s going to be a tough conversation between me and whoever we leave out, whether it’s Abhishek or whether it’s Sanju. So, we can’t suddenly ignore a combination that has created such an impact over the last one and a half or two years, and after three or four failures, drop them and play a young player who is very talented, who is also in very good form. So, sometimes you will have to wait for your opportunity because we want to create that security in that dressing room,” the coach added.
